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Ben franklin 2 (Click to select text)
Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography is broken up into four integral parts, all written during different periods in Franklin's life. The first part, addressed to his son, William, was written when Franklin was sixty-five years old. Before he began the task of recording his past, Franklin carefully wrote out a list of topics he would narrate to his readers. Eleven years later, this list somehow fell into the hands of Abel James who urged Franklin to finish writing his memoirs. In 1782, Franklin completed the second part of his autobiography in France where he served as a peace commissioner, and in 1788, Franklin composed the longest part of his autobiography at the age of eighty-three. The tangled history of how Franklin's autobiography became to be is interesting in itself. It shows Franklin's motives behind writing his autobiography. When Abel James wrote "kind, humane, and benevolent" Franklin to finish his life story, he told Franklin that his autobiography "would be useful and entertaining not only to a few but to millions (55)." Franklin wrote to his friend and confidant, Vaughan, for advice. Vaughan agreed with James and also urged Franklin to print the history of his life because he could think of no "more efficacious advertisement (56)" of America than Franklin's history. "All that has happened to you is also connected with the detail of the manners and situation of a rising people (56)," he replied to Franklin. It is obvious that when Franklin resumed writing his story, he did so knowing that his story would serve as an example for Americans and as an advertisement to the rest of the world. He wrote his autobiography in full self-consciousness that he was offering himself as a representative of the American citizen. Just as America had succeeded in creating and forming a nation, Franklin was successful in showing how an American went about creating his own character. Instead of being a personal account of his past for his son, Franklin's autobiography became a model for those who wished to fulfill the rags to riches American Dream. He was successful in fulfilling the image that his public wanted him to play. Following James' and Vaughan's letters, Franklin wrote about some important aspects of creating oneself: the image that one wanted portrays, how to appear generous and humble, keeping informed and educated, giving time and energy to public causes and the thirteen rules to live a virtuous life. Here, in one neat package, Franklin constructed a prescription that went into making a self-made man. In the land of opportunity and democracy, Franklin made a name for himself, and his autobiography reveals how one goes about following his footsteps and making a success of one's self. In the opening section of his autobiography, Franklin's message to his son is the same as the one to the rest of the world: how to go about making a success of oneself. "From the poverty and obscurity in which I was born and in which I passed my earliest years, I have raised myself to a state of affluence and some degree of celebrity in the world (1)," writes Franklin to his son. The text recording Franklin's life is more than simply anecdotal: "my posterity will perhaps be desirous of learning the means, which I employed, and which, thanks to Providence, so well succeeded with me. They may also deem them fit to be imitated (1)." The book serves as a guideline for those who read it and would like to imitate Franklin's actions. It is exemplary because Franklin's Autobiography paints a picture of a penniless boy without the assistance of his family, walking down the streets with two large rolls under his arms, who ends up helping to create a new nation. It is about the formation of the character that makes success possible. The purpose of the Autobiography is to show the making of a character in hopes of serving as an example to the American community. Franklin describes that he has "raised himself (2)" and challenges the normal American citizen to follow his steps that will undoubtedly lead to a path of success, honor, and respect. Throughout his autobiography, Franklin insists on distinguishing between appearance and reality, between what he is and what he seems to be. Franklin tells his readers in so many instances that it is not the reality of things that are important. On the contrary, it is the appearance of things that play a grander part in making a character. In order to secure my credit and character as a tradesman, I took care not only to be in reality industrious and frugal, but to avoid all appearances of the contrary. I dressed plain and was seen at no places of idle diversion. I never went out fishing or shooting; a book, indeed, sometimes debauched me from my work, but that was seldom, and gave no scandal… Thus being esteemed and industrious, thriving young man, and paying duly for what I bought, the merchants who imported stationary solicited my custom (27). If one wanted to sit with kings, Franklin advised that one should help them see one's merit. There were a number of "rich merchants, nobility, states, and princes" who were in need of honest people to manage their affairs, and there were "no qualities so likely to make a poor man's fortune as those of probity and integrity (34)." Early on in his career, Franklin learned that his impeccable appearance and reputation were good for business. Another instance where Franklin points out the importance of appearance takes place in Philadelphia. Upon arrival, Franklin offers to give his shilling away to the people who owned the boat that brought him to his destination. First, they refuse to accept the payment on grounds that he contributed in rowing the boat. However, Franklin "insisted in their taking it, a man being more generous when he has but a little money that when he has plenty through fear of being thought to have but little (19)." It is odd that Franklin uses the word "fear" in describing how he would feel if people believed that he was poor. Again, in this incident, similar to the one before, Franklin expresses his desire for people to have a favorable image of him. A highly esteemed reputation is critical of one's advancement in society and the appearance of being financially secure is the surest way of becoming one. Therefore, people should not only be aware of how others view them, but also be conscious of creating the image that they want for themselves. Yet, when making this character of oneself, it is also important to stay humble in fear that one's image will not be shattered by arrogance and pride. When Franklin first drafted his list of virtues, it contained only twelve. But a friend informed him that he would be viewed as being too proud and insolent. So Franklin added humility to the list. However, having reached a certain level of celebrity status for all his accomplishments, he could not bring himself to be humble. Franklin honestly states that he "cannot boast of much success in acquiring the reality of this virtue, but I had a good deal with regard to the appearance of it (35)." In order to appear humble, though he confesses that pride is "still alive," Franklin gets rid of all "positive assertion (45)" in his speech. He drops in his vocabulary such words as "certainly" and "undoubtedly' and adopts a more open minded, soft spoken manner. When putting forth his opinions, he did not do it dogmatically, but instead said, "'I imagine' a thing to be so and so, or 'It so appears to me at present.' "After discovering Socratic method of arguing, he "was charmed by it, adopted it, dropped my abrupt contradiction and positive argumentation, and put on a humbler inquirer." It proved to be successful: "this habit…has been of great advantage to me." If one has pride, Franklin advises him to "disguise it, struggle with it, beat it down, stifle it (45)." Franklin once again reveals that he is consciously "making himself" a certain way for people. In constructing a guideline for people to reach success, he lists humility as one of his thirteen virtues. Though, in reality, Franklin admits not being humble, he was successful in making himself look as though he was. In order for a man to reach a level of success, Franklin advises him to be well rounded with knowledge in many different subjects. The American citizen should be informed not only with the happenings before his eyes, but also the current events in the world. In his autobiography, Franklin portrays himself to be a man of inquiry. He creates a convincing image of a self-educated and curious man. On almost every page, we see some evidence of Franklin's willingness to learn. He reveals his expertise on a vast range of topics, from the science of electricity and speed of merchant ships, to street lights and Romantic languages. A wise man is one who hungers to learn new things. A man of merit is forgiving of other's shortcomings. Relationships, particularly those involving Franklin's father, brother, and governor Keith, show Franklin as a person who is able to move on when he is disappointed and hurt by others. His father had no confidence in Franklin's abilities and refused to support him in his ambitious endeavors to be a poet, swimmer, and printer. His brother, James, is described as being "harsh and tyrannical" towards young Franklin. And Franklin does not condemn the governor Keith "for playing such pitiful tricks, and imposing so grossly on a poor ignorant boy (46)." Instead, Franklin expresses no bitterness, or resentment; he is able to look back at these unpleasant moments in his life with forgiveness and understanding. He is also thankful for all the valuable lessons that he had learned thorough these seemingly difficult periods in his life. He cherishes every moment of his existence, embracing the bad as well as the good that comes his way. Franklin also teaches the lesson of giving to his readers. He recalls an incident in Philadelphia that presents him to be caring and generous. After purchasing "three great rolls (23)" by accident, he eats one and gives the other two to a woman and her daughter that came on the same boat with him. This occurs at a time in Franklin's life when he is near poverty. In this account, Franklin is willing to give up his security for the welfare of others. He challenges the readers to be more generous with their belongings and build a sense of community and cooperation in the nation. A man of good character will give to the community that has raised him and is now a part of him. Franklin devoted much of his life to public service. In part one, a younger Franklin built a wharff that benefited all those who used it. Later in his life, Franklin did not lose his sense of community. He established the public library, paved roads that were not safe, instituted an academy for youth in Philadelphia and served as a public servant holding numerous positions. Franklin saw the importance of having citizens helping one another to build up the nation. Franklin encourages readers to keep a journal of daily events, observations, and personal reflections. By his own estimation, the most important part of his journal was the plan he formulated "for regulating [his] future conduct in life (50)." To help him live a life of "truth, sincerity and integrity" (80), he came up with "thirteen necessary virtues for arriving at moral perfection (80)." He said that a man committed to improving himself was destined for greatness. In order to help the man reach a state of "moral perfection (63)," Franklin lists the thirteen virtues necessary for health, wealth, and happiness. This was, in reality, a "success formula" that could be practiced by a person who realized the importance of social consciousness and wished to imitate Franklin. Franklin is sometimes called the "the wisest American." Blessed with talents and ambition, Franklin was a statesman, author, and inventor in his time. Conscious of his celebrity status and popularity, he was able to create his own character. Having lived the American Dream, he wrote his autobiography for the public as a guideline to reach moral and social perfection. It was Franklin's extraordinary range of accomplishments that made him the American citizen to imitate.
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